Taco Salad

This is a simple and speedy way to use up those nagging kitchen staples and create a yummy meal all at the same time!

What you are looking at here is 2 small bunches of shredded romaine, 1 package (1 1/2 lbs. prepared) of soy curls, 1 can of black olives, 3 ears worth of corn (roasted), 1/2 of a red onion, blue corn chips and Queso.

Not only is this super quick and super easy but it's also customizable. Don't like black black olives? No problem! Want to add avocado? Go ahead! Soy curls not your thing? This is the perfect time to use any veg. protein of your choice. 

My soy curls were prepared very simply. First soaked for 10 minutes in warm water. Then cooked in a skillet with a blend of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander and the juice of 1 lime. About 10 minutes in the pan and they were done.  

The fun part is getting to arrange your salad...

I roasted up some fresh corn for this bodacious buffet and even that was super quick! Here's how you roast up corn at home in a flash. 

Roasted Corn

• 3-5 ear of corn

Preheat your oven to 475º F.

Cut the kernals off of the cobs and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from oven and scrape up the corn. You basically want to just move the corn around so that it cooks evenly. I run a metal spatula down the sheet in rows, turn the corn and flatten it again. There's no real scientific method to moving corn so just do whatever works for you at that moment. Into the oven for another 5 minutes, and you are done! Serve warm. I highly recommend you do roast up some corn at home, if for nothing but the incredible sweet smell that will fill your kitchen. You can even freeze the roasted corn and save it for a later use.

Fennel & Arugula Salad

On hot days like today, it's hard to imagine actually cooking anything. Luckily this delicious spring salad comes to the rescue with crispy cold slices of fennel, spicy arugula, salty bites of kalamata olives and just a squeeze of lemon.

Fennel & Arugula Salad

serves 2

• 2 large handfuls of arugula
• about 1/2 a fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• small handful kalamata olives (about 5-10)
• olive oil
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Toss arugula and fennel slices and plate. Top with olives, drizzle with oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I could not wait for strawberry season to get here simply because of this salad. This recipe comes from my mom, which came from a friend of hers, which came from... I don't know. At first glance, the dressing ingredients may not seem very appealing together, but trust me, give it a chance and you'll fall in love. I brought this salad to a baby shower last year and it was well received. People still ask me for the recipe.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• 1 lb spinach - baby spinach is divine
• 1 lb strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar (go ahead and sub agave if you wish)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup oil - I used olive, but you can use any neutral tasting oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons onion, minced - I love red onion here
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon vegan worcheshire sauce (you can sub soy sauce in a pinch)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Combine all dressing ingredients (sugar through poppy seeds) and mix vigorously until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add strawberries to a mixing bowl or large container with a cover. Pour the dressing over strawberries and gently mix so that strawberries are completely covered. When ready to serve pour strawberries over spinach and toss.

Notes: If you don't want both sesame and poppy, it is perfectly fine to omit one. 

Soup & Salad

It is frigid here. The cold temperatures have stirred up a craving for tomato soup. Luckily I had some canned tomatoes just waiting to be used.

Tomato & Leek Soup

• olive oil
• 2 28oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes
• 1 large leek, roughly chopped (white and most of the green part)
• dried Italian herbs, to taste
• onion powder, to taste
• garlic powder, to taste

First, chop and wash your leek very well, please. Heat a little oil in a soup pot, add leeks, saute until soft. Add tomatoes with all liquid from can. Then add about 1 can of water. (I filled each can about half way and swished it around to get the rest of the tomato-y goodness that got left behind.) Bring to a boil and break up the tomatoes a bit with a spatula. Turn down to a simmer, add Italian herbs, fresh cracked pepper, and salt if desired. I also added a few shakes of garlic powder and onion powder. Remove from heat and blend (in batches, if needed) in blender or food processor.

I love the combination of tomato soup and grilled cheese, but I wanted to ex-nay on the grilled cheese this time and replace it with a large salad. The problem with this was I wanted hot food, not cold salad. Fellow bloggers to the rescue. Susan from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen just posted a Hot Skillet Salad. Using her recipe as a guideline, I made a hot salad for the side of my soup.

Hot Salad

• olive oil, optional
• 1/4-1/2 onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• crushed red pepper to taste
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 bunch kale, torn
• 1bunch bok choy, chopped
• 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
• 1 can beans (use what you have, I used Great Northern)

Over medium heat, I cooked the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper in a smidge of olive oil. After about 3 minutes, I added the sweet potato and cooked another 5 minutes or so. Then, added in all the greens and 1 cup water. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Add the beans, toss and serve. I seasoned with fresh cracked pepper, a dash of sea salt, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.